School-Record 15 Three Pointers Propel Bulldogs Past Panthers, 74-59

Milwaukee, Wis. -
A staggering display of long-distance shooting by the Bulldogs overpowered any offensive attempt by UW-Milwaukee, as Butler nailed a school-record 15 treys en route to a 74-59 victory over the host Panthers at the Klotsche Center on Thursday (Feb. 22).

The win moves the Bulldogs (12-13, 9-4 HL) into sole possession of third place in the Horizon League standings, while UW-Milwaukee (12-14, 8-5 HL) drops into fourth.

The Bulldogs' performance from beyond the arc topped the previous single-game total of 14 set against UIC on Feb. 12, 2004. The total is also the highest output in the Horizon League this season and is tied for the most in the NCAA Division I this year.

Butler finished the game with a 15-for-27 clip from distance for a 55.6 percentage. In fact, the Bulldogs' three-point total comprised more than half of the team's 27 total field goals.

Susan Lester carried the Bulldogs in the early going, scoring Butler's first seven points and tallying 12 of the Bulldogs' first 16 points in the opening seven minutes, including a pair of three-pointers.

UW-Milwaukee kept pace, as Aubrey Hampton tallied a lay-in and a three-pointer to put the Panthers ahead by one at 17-16 before a Traci Edwards jumper extended the UWM lead to three.

Candace Jones brought the contest back to even at 19 with a three and, after another Edwards bucket, drove to the hole for two while tying the game back up at 21-21.

Lade Akande got in on the act, pushing the Bulldogs back in front by four with a pair of jumpers before Ellen Hamilton and Jackie Closser drilled back-to-back treys to give Butler its largest lead of the half at 31-21. Meanwhile, the Bulldog defense clamped down, holding the Panthers scoreless for nearly a six-minute stretch.

UWM closed the gap in the final five minutes, as Jody Crumble hit a pair of lay-ups, Hampton dialed-in a triple and Edwards converted two from the charity stripe to cut the score to 33-30 at the break.

The second half was all Butler, however, as nine of the Bulldogs' 15 field goals came from beyond the arc.

With Butler up, 40-32, Hamilton and Lester combined to hit five-straight triples, with three from Hamilton and two from Lester, to push ahead by 16 at 55-39 with 12:25 to go. Treys by Cassie Freeman and Tara Miller in the next three minutes helped to give the Bulldogs their largest lead at 63-43 with under 10 minutes left.

The Panthers attempted to rally in the final minutes, trimming the lead to 15 at 71-56 with 3:40 left, but Miller put the proverbial nail in the coffin with the record-breaking 15th trey just over 20 seconds later.

Lester paced the Bulldogs with 18 points coming on 6-of-12 shooting from the field and 4-of-6 from three-point. Hamilton, meanwhile, notched all 15 of her points on three-pointers, going 5-of-8 from distance.

In all, six Butler players chipped in a three-pointer, with Closser and Miller hitting two and Freeman and Jones adding one each.

Edwards finished with a game-high 19 points, including her 1,000th career point. Crumble added 13.

With the win, Butler claims a two-game regular-season sweep of the Panthers, the first time since the 1995-96 season that the Bulldogs have gone undefeated against UWM.

The Bulldogs turn north to take on No. 24/23 UW-Green Bay beginning at 3:00 p.m. CST on Saturday (Feb. 24).